New Rheumatology Centre at RJAH opens doors to first patients

A new chapter of Rheumatology care has begun at Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital, as the first patients stepped through the doors of the new dedicated Rheumatology Centre.

Patients attending infusion therapy were the first to be cared for in the purpose-designed centre at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, marking a major milestone for the Rheumatology Team and the development of the new facility.

The dedicated Infusion Suite will initially be used every Monday and every other Friday to provide specialist infusion treatments, with opportunities to grow the service in the future, in an environment designed around the needs of the service and its patients.

One of the first patients to receive treatment was Lauren Williams, 36 from Llanrheadr, who has been under the Rheumatology Service since 1996.

Lauren said: “The new centre is a lovely space – I’ve been having infusion treatment at RJAH for a number of years now and have been to several different locations across the hospital site.

“The chairs are especially comfortable, which is really important when you can be here all-day having treatment.

“The staff are amazing and fantastic at what they do. They look after me really well when I come for my appointments, providing hot and cold drinks as well as lunch, which makes a real difference when you’re here for a long time.”

RJAH is the lead provider of Rheumatology Services across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. As well as its lead site at RJAH, the Rheumatology Team delivers clinics at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Euston House in Telford, Ludlow and Newtown.

Kelsie Dawson, Service Manager for Rheumatology, said: “It’s fantastic to see the new Rheumatology Centre come to life and begin welcoming patients after so much work from the team to create a space centred around their needs.

“A huge amount of thought has gone into creating a centre that works for the people who will use it every day. Our Specialist Nurses especially played an important part in shaping the Infusion Suite, using their experience of delivering infusion treatments to help create a comfortable, practical and patient-focused environment.

“It is fantastic to see the centre now being used by patients, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming more of our patients through the doors.”

Photo caption: Rheumatology Clinical Specialist Nurses Lorraine Ridge and Gemma Cartwright with patients Gary Mirley, Pat Hopkins and Lauren Williams in the new Infusion Suite at the Rheumatology Centre.